Nearly two years after unveiling Simple One, Bangalore-based EV startup Simple Energy rolled out its maiden e-scooter at a starting price of Rs 1.45 lakh (ex-showroom, Bangalore).
Simple One will also be sold in a 'Super EV' variant, which will be offered with a 750W charger and will be available at a price of Rs 1.58 lakh ((ex-showroom, Bangalore). The e-scooter, which is 95 percent localised, will be taking on the likes of Ather 450X, TVS iQube and the Ola S1 Pro.
"Today, range anxiety and vehicle performance are major issues (in EVs). And when you join the dots, you identify that it is not just about the quality or cost, but also about the longevity of the product itself that is questionable. So, we had to solve these pieces together and form a company which fundamentally addresses the safety, performance, rage and overall owner's experience for the consumer itself," Suhas Rajkumar, Founder and CEO, Simple Energy told Moneycontrol earlier.
It may be recalled that the e-scooter was first showcased on August 15, 2021. The Bangalore-based EV maker postponed the delivery of its maiden e-scooter to July 2022 earlier and thereafter to March quarter of 2023, owing to the safety guidelines imposed by the government amidst fire incidents.
The company, however, clarified that its e-scooter has undergone a "series of improvement cycles" based on the initial feedback received and is finally ready to enter the market.
Simple Energy will commence deliveries from June 6, 2023, in a phased manner, starting with Bangalore and will also focus on ramping up its retail operations in the next 12 months by being present in 40-50 cities, through a network of 160-180 retail stores in these cities.
“People are okay to pay a premium but only when there's a product which actually justifies that. So, we have identified all these problems in the automobile industry and ventured out into the EV industry because that is the next big thing, " Rajkumar had said. “We have spent zero on marketing and still have the highest booking in the startup world, when we launched on the day when we got 15,000 bookings.”
Simple One is equipped with an IP-67-rated 5 kWh Lithium-ion portable dual battery pack that delivers a claimed range of 212 km in Indian driving conditions (IDC) with 6 percent SOC left, making it the longest-range electric two-wheeler in the domestic market. The e-scooter is equipped with an 8.5 kW electric motor, that puts out a maximum torque of 72 Nm.
While unveiling the model, Simple Energy claimed that the battery can be charged from 0 to 80 percent in 5 hours and 54 minutes, using portable and home chargers. With a fast charger, the scooter can be charged at the rate of 1.5km/min up to 80 percent, as per the company’s claims.
Furthermore, the electric two-wheeler will also be the first e-scooter to come with a thermal management system, developed collaboratively with IIT-Indore, helping mitigate any thermal runaways.
Rajkumar had also affirmed that it aims to outsell the number one electric two-wheeler maker Ola Electric in the medium term.
“Our peers come with a very basic configuration which doesn't really solve the consumer problems. You don't want to travel on a scooter which cannot charge an extra 30 km or which has zero prediction on the range. You don't want to travel on a scooter which runs out of life in the next three months or four months,” Rajkumar noted.
Simple Energy has already started production of Simple One from its Shoolagiri facility in Tamil Nadu, which has an installed annual capacity of around 5 lakh units per annum and is established with an investment of Rs 100 crore. Another Rs 200 crore was spent by the company towards Research and Development (R&D) of products.
According to the company, it is one of the few startups with a facility equipped with India’s first patented in-house motor manufacturing line, a battery manufacturing line and other facilities such as cell storage and Customer Acceptance Line.
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